Retarding device for automobile torpedoes.



F. M. LEAVITT.

RETARDING. DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOBS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1914.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

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WITNESSES:

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UNITED sTATEs OFFICE.-

'FRANK M. LEANITT, 0E SMITHTOWH, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 E. W. BLISS @OMIA-NY,

DF BRQQKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPQBATION 01? WEST pectqation of Letters Patent.

Patented 2a,

Application mea :aquel-y 14, 1914. serial No. 812,167.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK LEAVI'IT, a citizen of the United States, residing Smithtown, in the county of Suffolk an of NewYork, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Retarding Devices for Automobile Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

ln an automobile tor edo, it is desirable to delaycertain of the functions, and for this urpose retarding devices are used. djesirable use of such a retarder is fot` delaying the ignition of the fuel in the air heater (or so-called superheater) by which the air at reduced pressure is heated during its dow from the compressed air reservoir to the engine or turbine. It is essential to nsuccessful ignition that the ignit-v lates; lFig- 2isavertice1 Setion 0n a 'larger lit scale showing the apparatus at the instant of rstarting; 3 i lustrates a part of 2 showing the apparatus at the end of the Werding .operabann tlie drawings, is the shell or 'hullof the torpedo, of which B 1s the compressed air flask or reservoir, C is the starting valve,f

D is they pressure reduca valve, iS the air heater, lli is a diagrammatic illustration of the propelling engine in the form of a turbine, and ,G is lthe propeller shaft.

i rlhe retarding device as a vvhole is lettered H. lt is shown as mounted on a frame or bracket a fastened to the bulk-head b; but any other mounting may' be ,SllbStituted.

The igniter ll for the beater E is operated by high pressure air conducted through tubes c and d, the former leading from beyond the starting valve to the retarder, and 'the latter trom the retarder to the i iter. The retarder comprises a valve shell ing an inlet communicating with the tube c and an outlet communicating with the tube nozzle, so that there is instituted a j drop into t havf d, and having a seat at this outlet against which closes a valve e. This valve is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as a cone or tappgt lfo'rmed on a cylindrical plun r e', which latter makes a close sliding t with the chamber or cylinder f in the shell. The-pressuread mitted from the pipe c insures the closing of the valve tightly against 1ts seat, so that no air can pass through the tube ql until the valve is opened.

The opening of the valve is controlled by the retarding device roper, which 'coinprises a plunger' or slide for opening-the valve, a friction roller drivenat a 'slow 'speed from the engine, and a moving part o'r traction bar displaced by -the roller'and which after a given movement permits the plunger to move to o en the valve. i

The valve is opene preferably by a plunf ger g which receives the air pressure `i1 `on its upper end, and upon an annular'shou dei' between its larger part above'and its smaer part or neck beneath. e neck passes ldut through a close fitting opening in a plug h, and its lower end rests upon'a slide z' iiioving freely in the shell and carrying 'an id er roller Ic. This rol7le'r nomally're'sts upon a traction bar J which is su 'orted fon a' Afriction roller ml The latter' s Carried upon a shaft n on which is -fined a 'W'orm wheel p driven -rom la worm g,'whj,ch'.i turn is driven through caring fram the ,engine ,or shaft Te" e rin' 'h jvn consists of a gezin-wheel 7' on vs 's'l aft meshing with a pinion' a on e -'Wom shaft g. l i f The tpaction bar is reduced in width at t, or essentially is formed witha recess vor cut away portion which'after acer ain movement permits the np er roller"Y to is recess, as "s own in Fig. 3. This permits the slide'z' and plunger fk -to descend. descent of the plunger is due to the unbalanced ressure upon sit of the compressed air ent rin from c. The plupger has a pin-andslow connection or any7 other suitable 'lost motion engagement Wi h the valve e, `so that its ,descent mulls doyvn the valve as shown in Fig. 3, lthdieby opening a passage through 'the' valve and `between it and its seat, so as to permit/of free flow of air rom-theftube c to thetube d and the igniter. Upon the descent of the plunger its cone shoulder seats against a coned surface in the top of the plug h so as to prevent leakage of air around the plunger stem.

The igniter I may be variously constructed. The one shown has an outer shell u seated in a neck in the head of the heater and receiving air from the tube Z behind a plunger c which is held back by a spring o until upon the admission of the high pressure air this plunger is violently pushed forward so that the hammer fw which it carries strikes a blow against the cap of the cartridge and explodes the latter. This igniter is of a known construction.

1n operation, when the torpedo is launched the starting valve C is opened in a known manner, thereby admitting compressed air through the pressure regulator D and thence at lower pressure through the heater E to the engine. At the same instant 'high presure airl passes through tube c to the valve e, where it is arrested until the retarder has performed its movement. When the air reaches the engine F the latter starts, and turning the shaft G with an accelerated movement, drives through the train the friction roll m. The parts are shown in Fig. 2 as at the instant of starting. The roll m propels'the traction bar J in the direction of the arrow and agst' the pull of a sprin y. After the bar has moved a certain distance its recess t passes under the roller c and permits the latter to fall thereby opening the valve e and admitting air to the igniter. After this function has been performed it is a matter of indifference whether the traction bar J continues to be moved or whether suiicient looseness is rovided so that there is no longer a sutclent tractive efect to carry it beyond the position shown in Fig. 3.

The duration of retardation is Vdetermined b the gear ratio and the distance between the initial point of contact between the roller k and bar J shown in Fig. 2, and the location on the bar of the recess t which drops this roller. The bar J starts from a determined starting'point. If it is desired in any instance to vary the duration of retardation, this startin point is to be varied. A suitable means or this purpose is provided in an adjustable stop K against which in 'resetting the device the traction bar is drawn back by its spring y. For this purpose the traction bar has a shoulder J- whch strikes the stop; and by adjusting the sto to ,one position or another the ex' tent o? movement of the traction har between its starting position and its releasing position may be determined. To facilitate this adjustment the stop K is shown as made in the form of a lever with its lower arm serving as a ointer traversing an arbitrarily graduated] scale on a bracket e, to serve as a guide in the adjusting, and with a set-screw z' for clamping it in position after adjusting. The pressure exerted by the compressed air through the plunger g, slide i and roller c, forces the traction bar l into effective frictional engagement with the roller m, so that the turning of the roller 'displaces the bar without slip.

1. A retardin device comprising a traction bar, two rolers on opposite sides of said bar, gearing for driving one roller for displacing the bar, the bar havin a recess in which the other roller may fal and a part the movement of which is to be retarded connected to said latter roller.

2. A retarding device comprising a traction bar, two rollers on opposlte sides of said bar, gearing for driving one roller for displacing the bar, the bar havin a recess in which the other roller may al a art the movement of which is to be retar( ed connected to said latter roller, and an adjustable stop for varying the starting point of said traction bar to adjust the duration of retardation.

3. The combination with a valve shell having inlet and outlet openings, a valve moving in said shell to close said outlet, a plunger exposed to fluid pressure within said shell and connected to the valve so that when moved by such pressure it will open the valve, and a retarding device for temporarily sustaining said plunger against such pressure to retard the opening of said valve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK M. LEVITT.

Witnesses:

E. A. MAIN, Perm KRUBE. 

